TURKISH SCHOLARS WELCOME NOBEL LAUREATES’ INITIATIVE
PanARMENIAN.Net
15.06.2007 17:59 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ 86 Turkish scholars, writers and retired ambassadors
welcomed the initiative of 53 Nobel laureates, who called on Armenians
and Turks to establishment of contacts, cooperation and tolerance.
"We, the undersigned Turkish scholars and writers, welcome the call of
The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity issued on April 9, 2007. We
view this call as a doorway to opening a process of dialogue between
Turks and Armenians and as a stepping stone which will work to keep
that door open facilitating the culture of peace to bear fruit. We
would like to state that we are willing to do our part to make positive
contributions to this end.
It can not be refuted that Turks and Armenians have been living closely
together under the Turkish Republic, as was the case during the time
of the Ottoman Empire, as a result of which they have developed common
cultural values. We believe these values may form the basis for the
development of future relations.
Turkey does not evaluate the tragic events of 1915 which befell the
Ottoman Armenians as genocide as defined in the 1948 Convention on
the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide… After evaluating various
documents several academics, both Turkish and foreign, have arrived
at the conclusion that the requisite genocidal intent was not present
with respect to the Ottoman Armenians. We view that differing accounts
expressed by a given committee or other groups on this matter should
not be seen as anything other than the practice of the freedom of
expression. We would like to declare that we are prepared to discuss
this issue within the frame of joint committees together with Armenian
historians and all those interested; we believe that engaging in
dialogue is the only way forward to solve our outstanding problems,"
the reply says.
An appeal calling for tolerance, contact and cooperation between
Turks and Armenians, signed by 53 Nobel laureates of various fields,
was issued on April 9, 2007 by The Elie Wiesel Foundation based in
New York. The appeal calls for Armenians and Turks to encourage their
governments to open the Turkish-Armenian border, generate confidence
through civil society cooperation, improve official contacts,
allow basic freedoms and to address the gap in perceptions over the
Armenian Genocide. The action was initiated by executive director
David Phillips who had earlier coordinated the Armenian-Turkish
Reconciliation Commission, the Turkish Daily News reports.